Bridling apparatus



J. G. BAIN ET AL BRIDLING APPARATU 5 Filed March 29. 1922 3 sheets-sheet 1 Fuel.-

May 6 ,1924.

Filed March 29 1922 J. G. BAIN ET L BRIDLING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 BR IDLI NG ARBARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 their Auto? 1187 Vania, have i vented anew and usefullnr' provement in a 'Blldllllg Apparatus, of

Patented May 6, 1924.

UNIT so TAT S P T oFFioE,

JOSEPH e. mm, or rirrsnuasn, AND LAszLoivr. sTEMrnL, OFDORMONT, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS .TO LEWIS FOUNDRY & MACHINE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH,

PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA. I

BRIDLING Arr aanrns."

Application filed March 29, 1922. Serial m5. 547,754.

To aZZ whom it may concern? Be it known tllahWQ-JOSEPH United States, residing," respectively, at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania,and Dormont, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylwhich the followingis a specification.

This invention'relates to a bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling mills. i

A general object of the invention 1s to provide bridling apparatus which is simple and compact, and which'avoids the difiicult and laborious operation of-threadin g astrip being passed to the-reducing rolls through stationary. bridle bars.

'A more specific ob'ect of'the invention is to provide abridling apparatus of the nature noted above which places a strip being rolled under atension whichrnay be regulated with respect to the material and thickness of the strip.

A further specific objectof the invention is to provide such bridling'apparatuswhich places the strip under 'suflicient tension with out producing 'a rubbing of the metal-of the strip against itself or any other'metal; this feature rendering the apparatus of particu 'lar advantage for use in conjunction with the rolling of aluminum, and other metals the surfaces of which are subject to injury when dragged over a metallic surface.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus of the present invention, Figure 2 is a plan view thereof; F igure 3 is'a side elevation of the apparatus; and Figure t'is a cross sectional view therethroughon the line 44:' Figure 2.

The apparatus comprises primarily a base 1 arranged to be bolted or otherwise secured I to the housing ofthe rolling mill, uprights or. housings 2 and 3 secured to the base, and superimposedbridling rolls 4, 5, and 6 mounted in the housing members2 and '3. The general principle ofthe 'device consists in utilizing the gripping action of the .bridling rolls upon a strip passing through the rolling mill for placing the strip passing through the reducing'rolls under tension; inadjusting the bridling rolls vertically to l effect this gripping action upon strips of G. Barn and LAszLo M. STEMPEL, both citizens of the various widths; and indriving one of the bridling rolls positively during the early stages of a bridling operation to actuate all of such rolls for passing the strip to the by separate means provided for each of these purposes. a

In initially feeding a strip of metal to the reducing rolls, the'strip 12 is introduced between the lowermost bridling roll 6 and the intermediate roll 5. The strip 12 is then passed around the intermediate roll 5, between it and the uppermost roll 4, and over the uppermost bridling roll to the reducing rolls. ,During this threading operation the uppermost roll is preferably driven slowly, and serves also to drive the remaining rolls of the set. o

Inorder' to provide a yielding means of contact between the several rolls of the set and the strips 12, and to guide a strip through the bridling rolls, a plurality of belts 13 are passed around and between the rolls. These belts 13 lie between the strip 12 being rolled and the rolls 6 and 4, the strip The means for adjusting the bridling rolls vertically comprise primarily the stiff flat spring 17, which bears directly against the bearingblocks 11 of the lowermostroll 6. Against this spring 17 bears a vertical pin 18 which passes through a bracket 19 forming part of the base 1, and against which bears a lever arm 20 pivoted in the base. This lever arm 20 has a connection 21 with an arm or link 22 connected with an operating handle 23. This operating handle 23 is in turn arranged to cooperate with a toothed segment 25 in such manner that the means acting upon the spring 17 may be locked in proper position to place the spring under the desired compression. 7

With the rolls 5 and 6 adjusted to clamp the strip 12 firmly with the assistance of the belts 13, the positive actuation imparted tothe uppermost roll 4.- may be discontinued and the pull of the reducing rolls relied upon for drawing the strip through the bridling rolls.

The means for imparting the positive actuation to the uppermost bridling roll at will comprise an extended trunnion 26 on this roll, such trunnion having an outboard bearing 27 in an upright or standard 28. This extended trunnion or shaft 26 may be connected or disconnected by means of a clutch 29 with a pulley 30 for receiving power from any suitable source, preferably from the rolls of the rolling mill itself. The clutch mechanism proper for this purpose is secured to the yoke 31 of a bell crank lever 32, which is ivoted at 33 to1a bracket arm 34 extending f crank lever 33 is connected with an arm or link 35 which is in turn connected with a pivoted treadle 36, extending into such posidevice of the present invention places a strip being rolled under sufiicient tension to prevent curling or warping thereof, without the necessity of wrapping the strip being rolled upon itself in order to provide the proper resistance to the pull of the rolls. The grip of the bridling rolls upon a strip passing therethrough is insured by the belts 13, which provide a yielding filling means between the points of contact of the rolls.

It is also desirable that strips composed of aluminum should not be dragged over any other metallic surface in their passage to the reducing rolls. In this connection it may be noted that a strip passing through the bridling rolls is in direct contact with the belts 13, and is' not in direct contactwith either the uppermost roll 4 or the lowom the standard 28. Bell ermost roll 6. As the strip does come into direct. contact with the intermediate roll 5, this roll may be provided with a felt or tus described above is easy to operate, and

that the tension under which a strip is placed during rolling may be readily regu- .lated by adjustment of the two vertically movable rolls.

The advantages of the device as hereinabove set forth, together-with numerous other advantages,,will .be readily appreciated by those,skilled in the art to which the in- ,ventiongpertains, the device described andillustrated is, moreover, susceptible of a number ofmodifications without departing fromthespiritof the invention embodied therein, -the scope ofthe invention is to be restricted only by the limitations contained in the claimsv appended "hereto.

What we claim is:

1. Bridling apparatus for use inconjunotion with rolling .millscomprising a set of superimposed. bridling rolls, and means 'Whereby onevof said bridling rolls may be positively actuated atwillorsuch positive actuation discontinued. without .discontinu ing operation of the setof bridling rolls.

' 2. Bridling apparatus for use in conj unction with rolling. millscomprising a set of bridling rolls forreceiving and placing under-tension a strip passing to the mill, and means on' said bnidlingrolls for increasing the frictional engagementlbetween said rolls and the strip passing therethrough and for v preventing direct contact between the metal of said rolls andthe surface of the strip.

3.1 Bridling apparatusifor useflin conjunction with rolling mills comprising a set of superimposed bridling -rolls for receiving andplacing under'tension a strip. passing to the mill, andbelting; passing around and between said bridling rollsv providing a frictional engagement between said rolls and the strip passing therethrough.

14'. Bridling apparatus foruse in conjunction-with rollingmillscomprising a set of superimposed bridling rolls for receiving and placing under tension, a strippassing to the mill. belting passing around and between said bridling rolls for providing a frictional engagement between said rolls and the strip passing therethrough, and means for driving one of saidrolls positively and thereby actuating all the rolls of the set.

5. Bridling apparatus for use in conj unction with rolling mills-comprisinga. set of superimposed "bridling rolls for receiving and placin under tension a strippassing to the mill, 1 elting xpassing. around and between. said bridling rolls providingv bi tional. engagement between said rolls and the strip passing therethrough, and adjustable means for maintaining said belting taut.

6. Bridling apparatus for use in conj unction with rolling mills comprising a bridling roll rotatably mounted in stationary bearings, means for positively driving said bridling roll, and a vertically adjustable bridling roll arranged to grip a strip passing to the mill between itself and said positively driven roll, and resilient means arranged to act upon said roll for forcing the same toward said stationary roll. I

7. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling mills comprising a set of more than two superimposed bridling rolls arranged to have a strip passing to the reducing rolls of the mill threaded therethrough in operative contact with all thereof.

8. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling mills comprisin a set of more than two superimposed bri ling rolls arranged to have a strip passing to the reducing rolls of the mill threaded therethrough in operative contact with all thereof, and means for positively driving one of the bridling rolls of the set. v

9. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling mills comprising a set of more than two superimposed bridling rolls arranged to have a strip passing to the reducing rolls of the mill threaded therethrough in contact with all thereof, and means for increasing the frictional engagement between said bridling rolls and the strip passing therethrough and for preventing direct contact between the metal of said rolls and the surface of the strip.

10. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling mills comprising a set of more than two superimposed bridling rolls arranged to have a strip passing to the reducing rolls threaded therethrough in contact with all thereof, means for positively driving one of the bridling rolls, and means for increasing the frictional engagement between said bridling rolls and the strip passing therethrough and for preventing direct contact between the metal of said rolls and the surface of the strip.

11. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling mills comprising a set of more than two superimposed bridling rolls arranged to have a strip passing to the reducing rolls of the mill threaded therethrough in operative contact with all thereof, one roll of said set being mounted in stationary bearings, mounting means for the other rolls of the set-arranged to permit vertical adjustment thereof, and resilient means arranged to act upon said rolls for forcing the same toward the stationary roll.

12. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling mills comprising a set of more than two superimposed bridling rolls arranged to have a strip passing to the reducing rolls of the mill threaded therethrough in operative contact with all thereof, one roll of said set being mounted in stationary bearings, mounting means for the other rolls of the set arranged 'to permit vertical adjustment thereof, resilient means arranged to act uponsaid rolls for forcing the same toward the stationary roll, and means whereby the stationary bridling roll may be positively actuated at will and such actuation discontinued without discontinuing operation of the set of bridling rolls.

13. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunc tion with rolling mills comprising a set of more than two superimposed bridling rolls arranged to have a strip passing to the reducing rolls of the mill threaded therethrough in contact with all thereof, means I for providinga frictional engagement between said bridling rolls and the strip passing therethrough and for preventing direct contact between the metal of said rolls and the surface of the strip, and mounting means for said bridling rolls arranged to permit vertical adjustment of at least one thereof.

14. Bridling apparatus for use in conjunction with rolling mills comprising a set of more than two superimposed bridling rolls arranged to have a strip assing to the reducing rolls of the mill threaded therethrough in operative contact with all thereof, means for positively driving one of the bridlin rollsof the set, means for providing a frictional engagement between said bridling rolls and the strip passing therethrough and for preventing direct contact 4 between the metal of said rolls and the surface of the strip, and mounting means for said bridling rolls arranged to permit vertical adjustment of at least one thereof.

In testimony whereof, we hereunto set our hands.

JOSEPH G. BAIN. LASZLO M. STEMPEL. Witnesses:

W. E. BALLARD, E. B. WALTERS. 

